Nurse practitioners can improve Californians’ access to healthcareLos Angeles Times

May 16, 2019

Thanks to the state’s embrace of Obamacare, California has
expanded health insurance to millions of uninsured residents over
the last five years. But as the number of people covered has
grown, so has the strain on the doctors, clinics and hospitals
that must respond to the increasing demand for care.

The problem is especially acute when it comes to primary care
doctors and other front-line care providers, such as physician
assistants and nurse practitioners. A study by UC San Francisco
estimated that the state will have a
shortfall of 4,700 of these clinicians by 2025. And the
California Future Health Workforce Commission warned earlier this
year: “Seven million Californians, the vast majority of them
Latino, black and Native American, live in Health Professional
Shortage Areas — a federal designation for counties experiencing
shortfalls of primary care, dental care or mental health care
providers.”